First Pakistani artist wins Jameel Prize in Istanbul

ISLAMABAD, Jun 10 (APP): Pakistani artist Ghulam Mohammad has
won the prestigious Jameel Prize-4 for his works in contemporary
Islamic art, becoming the first Pakistani to achieve the distinction.

The Jameel Prize, an international award for contemporary art
and design inspired by Islamic tradition, was awarded to Ghulam
Mohammad at a ceremony held at Pera Museum in Istanbul, said a
statement received here Friday.

According to the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, London,
which organizes the Jameel Prize and exhibition in partnership with
Art Jameel every two years, “Its aim is to explore the relationship
between Islamic traditions of art, craft and design and contemporary
work as part of a wider debate about Islamic culture and its role
today.”

The prize is open to artists and designers from any ethnic, religious or cultural background. The first Prize was awarded in 2009. The subsequent prizes and exhibition of work of finalists were held at V&A, London.

This is the first time the prize and exhibition have been held at an external venue, i.e. Pera Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.

The announcement about Jameel Prize 4 notes that over 280
nominations were received from around the world, while works of 11
artists were short-listed by a panel of judges, chaired by V&A
Director, Martin Roth. According to the judges, Ghulam Mohammad’s
work “stood out for its excellence of concept and execution.”
“Using second-hand books, Ghulam Mohammad’s intricate collages
of paper cuttings of Urdu script pasted on Wasli paper create new
meanings and celebrate the great heritage of Islamic art, craft and
design,” the announcement by V&A noted.

Asye and Ece Ege, founders of Turkish fashion label Dice Kayek
and winners of Jameel Prize 3, presented the Prize to Ghulam
Mohammad.
On the occasion, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Sohail
Mahmood said this was “great news for Ghulam Mohammad, for
Pakistan’s young artists, and for the broader art community in
Pakistan.”

“The fact that this took place in brotherly Turkey makes it
even more special,” he said.

He commended both V&A and Pera Museum for their collaboration
in this edition of Jameel Award, adding that it would further
showcase the creative genius of Pakistani artists, and especially of
young artists whose works were being increasingly recognized
internationally and adorned the best art galleries and museums of
the world.

Five art works of Ghulam Mohammad as well as those of other 10
short-listed artists are now on display at Pera Museum (Istanbul)
from 8 June to 14 August 2016.

The V&A houses one of the world’s notable collections of Islamic art in its Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art. The late Zaha Hadid, award-winning architect, was Patron of the Jameel Prize.